SpicyWebDesigners.com by Luc Arnold

Les Reynolds from Burlington, Ontario in Canada is web designer who currently runs, L Squared Design, a full service web design and development studio. Les received his first taste of web design while working for an electrical contracting company while learning to design an email newsletter. He credits his experiences before he got into web design as part of his success where he learned the ins and outs of operations, marketing, purchasing and business in general. Les has been designing professionally for the past 3 years and when I asked him about his experiences to date he had this to say…

Luc @ SWD: How did you originally get started designing websites?

Les says: I was working for an electrical contracting company, and they wanted to send out an email newsletter. So I taught myself HTML using articles and tutorials I found on the web. Once the newsletter was done, I couldn’t stop, and the more I learned the more I realized that this is what I wanted to do as a career.

Luc @ SWD: What are some of the benefits of working with platforms like WordPress, Textpattern and others?

Les says: The biggest reason I use a CMS is so clients can update a site themselves. However, it makes updates easier for almost any type of site. Another bonus is being able to change repeating content like footer or navigation in only one place, similar to using PHP includes. I haven’t used WordPress, but I love the flexibility that Textpattern offers. With the built in features and rich suite of plug-ins, it is suitable for a very wide range of sites.

Luc @ SWD: Les, you’ve been designing website professionally for the past 3 years.  How have you continued to stay up to date since you first started?

Les says: The speed that things change in the world of web design/development means that if you stop paying attention, you’ll be passed by. RSS feeds from people like Jeffery Zeldman, Dan Cedarholm, Cameron Moll, Jon Hicks, Andy Rutledge, Dave Shea, Jonathan Snook, Jason Santa Maria and other has helped me to stay up to date, and learn so much. And recently Twitter has been a great way to keep in touch with changes as well.

Luc @ SWD: Where did you go to school and what did you study in college/university? How has it helped you with web design?

Les says: When I started getting into web design, I did some research and found that most college/university web design & development programs have trouble keeping up with the fast pace of the web world. I think that is beginning to change, but at the time I decided that I’d be better off going the self-taught route.

Books like Designing with Web Standards, CSS Mastery, Bulletproof Web Design, and Transcending CSS have served as my curriculum, as well as articles on A List Apart and the blogs listed above.

I’ve actually thought about taking some courses in graphic design at the local college. I think graphic design and marketing are both areas of education that would be useful.

The other things that I think has helped me are the jobs I had before web design. The experience in management, sales, operations, marketing, purchasing, accounting, etc has been very valuable.

Luc @ SWD: What are your favorite tools to use on a web design project?

Les says: I started using Photoshop, but a light went on once I opened up Fireworks. It has done a great job of merging vector and bitmap editing, in a way that works really well for the web. However, as I’ve looked at upgrading, tales of buggy, bloated software have made me think twice. There is lots of complaining about Adobe’s apps, and i think it’s time we moved on. I’m currently trying out Acorn and DrawIt. I actually wrote a post about it, and plan to follow up with some comparisons.

For coding, there is lots to love about Espresso, although there is still refining to be done. FTP is handled by the wonderful Transmit, debugging CSS with Safari’s web inspector.  I find small tools like Pipette, Free Ruler, Skitch, and Little Snapper quite helpful for various tasks. Somewhat unrelated, The Hit List for todos, Notational Velocity for notes, Dropbox for file access, SuperDuper for backup, and Tweetie for Twitter are all invaluable.

Todd Stowell is a web designer from Washington, DC who telecommutes to Brooklyn, New York in the United States. He has been designing websites since 2000. Todd studied at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont for his Associates in Science – Computer Networking & PC Support, Bachelors of Science – Computer and Digital Forensics, and Bachelors of Science – Computer Information Systems. He also received his Web Standards Certification from W3C Schools which speaks to his passion for being a self-taught web designer.

1. How did you get started in web design?

I was in a video production class in high school in 1996.  A friend was building a web site on Geocities and it caught my eye.  I liked the idea that he was able to develop something and put it online for the world to see.  I’ve never looked back since.

2. When did you start designing websites?

I picked up “designing sites” around 2000.  I had always just been playing around for my own purposes, tables and animated gif’s to build simple web sites.  It wasn’t until my first “web job” was with a firm in Vermont (who at the time had no designers) that I was able to design a site from start to finish.

3. What are the biggest challenges that you face in web design currently?

The biggest challenge is educating the client.  While various 2.0 trends are driving design forces these days, accessibility and simplicity need to play a key role as well.  Your product(s) will never be effective if your users can’t easily find and use the information you are presenting.

4. Do you code any of the web sites that you design currently? If so, what language(s) do you code in?

I code in PHP, specifically within WordPress, and write JavaScript, XHTML and CSS.

5. Did you study design at school or are you self-taught?  If you went to school, how has your education helped you become a better web design professional?  What other skills has it helped you to gain and what else has it taught you about design in general?

I am self-taught.  While living and working in Vermont, I picked up many key pointers from the firm’s Creative Director (who was also responsible for developing the Vermont Teddy Bear company’s identity).

I personally went to school and have degrees in Computer Information Systems.  From a technical standpoint, it has prepared me for what is and isn’t possible on the web, smart practices with data delivery and importantly, how to make design and code “run fast”.

Now, I work with some amazing designers through my current employer, Tierra Innovation (www.tierra-innovation.com), who have shown me many new ideas and provided inspiration to take web development to the next level.  The one piece of advice I can give to anyone out in the web world today is that design is an ever evolving process, and that flexing your unique style should come first before you follow the crowd.

6. Since you first started how has the web design industry changed? Has it changed for the better? If so, how? If not, please explain?

Since I started working in the web, the whole “2.0 revolution” happened.  Big flash sites have been replaced with jQuery/AJAX driven products, online collaboration has greatly increased and web standards are now in place and followed.  The industry has and is changing for the good.

More firms are following standards and accessibility rules.  I started using these practices in 2003 and it’s helped in so many ways.  Building a design using strictly XHTML/CSS allows for easier updates, better Search Engine Optimization and follows Section 508 guidelines (the Government’s users with disabilities act).

Additionally, web sites are now more universally browser centric.  I can remember a time where a site might load in IE, but not at all in Netscape.  Now with Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari now in the mix, it has forced competitors to step it up a notch and make sure their sites load across the board – and forced the browser developers to use the same tools so those sites can load correctly.

7. What are your favorite tools to use when designing a web project? Why are they your favorite tools?

For design, I strictly use Photoshop.  For coding, use Editpad Pro, SQLyog, Firebug and the Web Developer Toolbar.  They are my favorites because they are what I am most familiar with.  The code editing tools are extremely light weight and simple to use.

Rolf Johansson is a web designer from Burlington (from my hometown), Ontario in Canada. He started designing websites when he was back in university while majoring in political science. After working with KPMG for a while learning about various web technologies, Rolf decided to eventually make the leap into freelance web design which he currently does full time.

1. How did you first get started in web design?

I started back in university, around 1996.  I was actually majoring in Political Science, but I was looking for ways to make a few extra bucks.  I had learned about the world wide web around the same time, and thought it was pretty ground-breaking that pretty much anyone could ‘publish’ nice-looking content.  I also noticed that the faculty and my department didn’t have a web presence, so I convinced the dean that it was necessary for them.

Having decided upon graduation that politics wasn’t for me (did I just waste 4 years of my life?), I applied for a short-term internship at KPMG Canada… they were looking for a ‘web-guy’ who could design an intranet for the Human Resources group.  One thing led to another and I’ve been involved with the web in one way or another ever since.

I have to say that I was very lucky in that I was hired by a very forward thinking person who realized the value of the link between the web and a traditional business function like HR.

2. How did you make the move from human resources to web design?

Well, I really never actually made the jump ‘from’ HR to web design.  I guess you can say that they went hand-in-hand early on.  For the first 5 years of my career, pretty much all of my web experience was related to supporting the Human Resources function (intranets, basic collaboration, job boards, request forms, HRIS).  It was really a great experience looking back because I learned a great deal about business processes, organizational politics, power, human nature and how to make technology support all of that – not the other way around.

I formally made the jump out of HR when I joined the technology group at KPMG (first in Canada, then globally).  When I joined KPMG Global, I worked exclusively on their proprietary web-based Global Knowledge Sharing Tool for a few years.

3. How long have you been doing freelance web design?

I’ve been a freelancer for about 3 years now.  I had moved around in the Corporate world doing other things like Project Management and Corporate Communications, but after my 2nd child was born, my wife and I decided that someone should stay home with the kids.  I jumped at the chance.

I had always dreamed of running my own business, and this looked like the perfect opportunity to ‘ease’ into freelancing.  I started by working about 2 days a week while the kids went to pre-school, and I’ve gradually added more time to my work schedule as the kids have become more independent.  I’d have to say this year will probably be very close to full-time freelancing (both kids are in school now).

Looking back, it was a nice approach to take.  It was low-risk for us (my wife has been the major bread-winner), and I’ve been able to ease into the Freelancing thing.

4. How do you usually price your web design projects?

I almost always price by the project.  I’m big into fairness and treating clients well.  By pricing on a project basis, I feel that all the cards are on the table up-front, and there are no surprises for the client.  They appreciate the fact that they can set their budgets.  It’s working well so far.

The big challenge when I first started was making sure that I was pricing projects in a way that was fair to me.  I’m sure I underpriced a few projects early on when I didn’t really know what it would take to build something.  After 3 years though, I’m getting much better at it.

5. Where do you get your inspiration to design websites?

My main inspiration comes from other websites.  I don’t set out to copy, but I do look at other sites for inspiration on tone, structure, overall feel, technology…

The client’s existing identity and objectives, of course, plays a big role in terms of how a site develops visually and functionally.  I’m also big into design magazines.  I think print design can bridge over to web design in many ways.  I think we’re seeing that more and more in websites these days.

6. How do your clients usually find you? Through word of mouth? Agencies? Or
something else?

Referrals for me are everything.  You cannot get a better lead than a referral from an existing client.  That’s why my absolute, number one, main priority is to treat my clients well.  Not only is it the right thing to do (it helps me sleep at night), but you cannot replace the long-term benefits that come out of this.

I have had a couple of cold calls – where I was contacted – which have turned into very rewarding client relationships, but these are definitely in the minority.  Referrals from existing clients have certainly driven my business so far.

7. Do you design exclusively using ExpressionEngine? Or do you use other CMS
systems to design for?  I love using wordpress myself.

Expression Engine is my only CMS at the moment.  I had looked at Wordpress early on, but I was seduced by EllisLab’s outstanding support.  They are definitely second to none.  I was also influenced by the fact that a few web designers that I look up to (Veerle is one of them) use Expression Engine and recommend it.  I love working with EE because it’s very flexible, and allows me to offer nearly anything to my clients (i.e. wiki, discussion forums, e-commerce), plus traditional content publishing capabilities.

I will probably look at another CMS or two in the near future, just to broaden my skill-set.  Wordpress will be one of them for sure.  I’m also on the lookout for a good e-commerce tool for small/medium sized businesses.  Magento is on the radar, but if you know of anything else, I’m all ears.

8.  What tools can you not work without when designing a web design project?

I cannot live without the following:

1. My Mac – which allows me to sit in front of a computer for hours and still keep me feeling happy
2. Coda – for all my html, scripting, etc…
3. Fireworks (yes, Fireworks) – I’m not a graphic designer – I’ve found it to fit the bill for me, and the price is right!
4. Firebug (for Firefox) – for finding all my mistakes that would otherwise drive me crazy
5. Basecamp – for keeping clients more than up-to-date on the progress of projects
6. iTunes – to keep me focused
7. My Guitar – to keep the creative juices flowing